Norwegian Elkhound
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2011) |
| Norwegian Elkhound | |||||||||
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.jpg) A female Norwegian Elkhound, showing the standard tightly curled tail | |||||||||
| Other names | Norsk elghund Grå norsk elghund Gray Norwegian Elkhound Small Grey Elk Dog Norwegian Moose Dog Harmaa norjanhirvikoira | ||||||||
| Origin | Norway | ||||||||
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| Notes | The FCI divides this into two breeds, Grey (242) and Black (268). | ||||||||
| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||
The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the Northern Spitz-type breeds of dog and is the National Dog of Norway. The Elkhound has served as a hunter, guardian, herder, and defender. It is known for its courage in tracking and hunting moose and other large game, such as bears or wolves.[1][2] The Norwegian Elkhound was first presented at a dog exhibition in Norway in 1877.
The Norwegian name of the breed is Norsk elghund.[3] The breed's object in the hunt is to independently track down and hold the moose at bay—jumping in and out toward the moose, distracting its attention, while signaling to the hunters by barking very loudly—until the hunter who follows the sound can arrive to shoot it. The dog will only bark while the moose is stationary, but it can also slowly drive the elk or moose towards shooters lying in wait. The Norwegian Elkhound is also used on a leash. In this mode of hunting, the dog leads the hunter in the direction of the elk or moose while keeping quiet.
Lineage
[edit]The breed falls under the mitochondrial DNA sub-clade referred to as d1 that is only found in northern Scandinavia. It is the result of a female wolf-male dog hybridization that occurred post-domestication.[4][5] Subclade d1 originated "at most 480–3,000 years ago" and includes all Sami-related breeds: Finnish Lapphund, Swedish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder, Jämthund, Norwegian Elkhound and Hällefors Elkhound. The maternal wolf sequence that contributed to these breeds has not been matched across Eurasia[6]
Description
[edit]Appearance
[edit]| Norwegian Elkhound appearance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build: | medium, sturdy and squarely built | |
| Weight: | 44–51 lbs (20–23 kg) | |
| Height: | 19.5–20.5 inches (50–52 cm) | |
| Coat: | Coarse, straight, with soft undercoat | |
| Color: | Black and white coloring, often noted as grey or silver | |
| Head: | Broad and wedge-shaped with a defined stop | |
| Teeth: | Scissors bite | |
| Eyes: | Dark brown with a keen, friendly expression | |
| Ears: | Pointed, erect | |
| Tail: | Rolled tightly over back | |
| Limbs: | Straight and parallel | |
According to The Kennel Club breed standard ideally the dog stands about 19.5–20.5 inches (50–52 cm) high and weighs up to 23 kilograms (51 lb).[7] Its grey, white, and black coat is made up of two layers: an underlying dense smooth coat ranging from black at the muzzle, ears, and tip of its tail to silvery grey on its legs, tail, and underbody and an overlying black-tipped protective guard coat. An ideal Elkhound has a tightly curled tail. The Elkhound is a medium-sized dog and extremely hardy.
Temperament
[edit]
Norwegian Elkhounds are bred for hunting large game, such as wolf, bear and moose. Although the breed is strong and hardy, the dogs typically have an inseparable bond with their masters and are quite loyal. All Elkhounds have a sharp loud bark which makes them suitable as watchdogs.
Norwegian Elkhounds are loyal to their "pack" and make excellent family dogs given proper attention. They are bold, playful, independent, alert, extremely intelligent, and, at times, a bit boisterous. They rank 36th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of above average working/obedience intelligence.
Health
[edit]A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 12.9 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.[8]
Norwegian Elkhounds are prone to an inherited abnormality that causes primary renal glucosuria via reducing the functional capacity of the tubular epithelial cells to reabsorb glucose; this disorder further predisposes them to lower urinary tract bacterial infections.[9]
Norwegian Elkhounds are also predisposed to dioestrous & gestational diabetes, progesterone-related forms of diabetes mellitus.[10]
A form of inherited chondrodysplasia has been described in the Norwegian Elkhound since the 1980s. Symptoms include curvature of the forelimbs, carpal valgus, retarded ossification, and a shortening of the vertebral body. Researchers from Finland identified the cause to be a recessive nonsense mutation in the ITGA10 gene.[11]
The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the more commonly affected breeds for primary open angle glaucoma. An autosomal recessive mutation in the ADAMTS10 gene is responsible for the condition in the breed.[12]
History
[edit]The Norwegian Elkhound has its origins in Sweden where it has always been highly prized as a hunting dog. It is 98% genetical identical to the Jämthund and share the same roots being from Jämtland and Norrland (Northern Sweden). It was rarely seen or bred outside of Norway until its appearance in England in the 19th century.[13] It was officially recognized by The Kennel Club in 1901.
Famous Norwegian Elkhounds
[edit]- President Herbert Hoover's "Weegie"
See also
[edit]
Dogs portal- List of dog breeds
- Tahltan Bear Dog (extinct)
- Norwegian Lundehund
- Old Norwegian sheep
- Icelandic goat
- Norwegian sheep landrace
- Norwegian chicken landrace
- Norwegian forest cat
- Black Norwegian Elkhound
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References
[edit]- Citations
- ^ "Norwegian Elkhound". American Kennel Club.
- ^ Miner, Edward Herbert. "Norwegian elkhounds hunt elk, bear, wolves and mountain lions (colour litho)". Bridgeman Education - National Geographic Image Collection (Colour Litograph).[permanent dead link]
- ^ "FCI Standard" (PDF). Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Pang, J.-F.; Kluetsch, C.; Zou, X.-J.; Zhang, A.-b.; Luo, L.-Y.; Angleby, H.; Ardalan, A.; Ekstrom, C.; Skollermo, A.; Lundeberg, J.; Matsumura, S.; Leitner, T.; Zhang, Y.-P.; Savolainen, P. (2009). "MtDNA Data Indicate a Single Origin for Dogs South of Yangtze River, Less Than 16,300 Years Ago, from Numerous Wolves". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 26 (12): 2849–64. doi:10.1093/molbev/msp195. PMC 2775109. PMID 19723671.
- ^ Duleba, Anna; Skonieczna, Katarzyna; Bogdanowicz, Wiesław; Malyarchuk, Boris; Grzybowski, Tomasz (2015). "Complete mitochondrial genome database and standardized classification system for Canis lupus familiaris". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 19: 123–129. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.06.014. PMID 26218982.
- ^ Klütsch, C.F.C.; Savolainen, Peter (2011). "Regional occurrence, high frequency, but low diversity of mitochondrial dna haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in Scandinavia". Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 6 (1): 100–3. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2010.08.035.
- ^ "Breed standard". The Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ McMillan, Kirsten M.; Bielby, Jon; Williams, Carys L.; Upjohn, Melissa M.; Casey, Rachel A.; Christley, Robert M. (2024-02-01). "Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death". Scientific Reports. 14 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10834484.
- ^ Littman, Meryl (January 2017). "Ch14 - Genetic basis for urinary tract diseases". BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Nephrology and Urology (3rd ed.). British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
- ^ Fall, Tove. Characterisation of diabetes mellitus in dogs. Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2009
- ^ Kyöstilä, Kaisa; Lappalainen, Anu K.; Lohi, Hannes (2013-09-25). "Canine Chondrodysplasia Caused by a Truncating Mutation in Collagen-Binding Integrin Alpha Subunit 10". PLoS ONE. 8 (9). Public Library of Science (PLoS): e75621. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075621. ISSN 1932-6203.
- ^ Oliver, James A.C.; Mellersh, Cathryn S. (2020). "Genetics". In Cooper, Barbara; Mullineaux, Elizabeth; Turner, Lynn (eds.). BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing (Sixth ed.). British Small Animal Veterinary Association. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-910-44339-2.
- ^ Antonsen, Ellinor (1995). Den norske hundeboka (in Norwegian). Sunndalsøra: Ulvund tekst & forlag. p. 170. ISBN 8291132054.
- Bibliography
- Lynch, Deborah and Jenny Madeoy. 2004 "Man's best research guide: Breeds hold key to shared ailments." presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by Deborah Lynch of the Canine Studies Institute in Aurora, Ohio and Jenny Madeoy of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle. [1]
- Lynch, Deborah and Jenny Madeoy. 2004a "How top dogs took lead 7,000 years ago." presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Seattle by Deborah Lynch of the Canine Studies Institute in Aurora, Ohio and Jenny Madeoy of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle. [2]
Further reading
[edit]- Books
- Norwegian Elkhound (Comprehensive Owner's Guide), 2005. ISBN 978-1-59378-306-8
- Norwegian Elkhounds by Anna Katherine Nicholas. TFH, 1997. ISBN 978-0-7938-2319-2
- The Norwegian Elkhound (Pure Bred) by Nina P. Ross, PhD. Doral, 1995. ISBN 978-0-944875-39-1
- The Elkhound in the British Isles by Anne Roslin-Williams. Witherby & Co., 1993. ISBN 1-85609-050-7
- My 60 Years with Norwegian Elkhounds by Olav P. Campbell, 1988.
- The New Complete Norwegian Elkhound, revised edition, by Olav Wallo. Howell, 1987.
- Norwegian Elkhounds by Anna Katherine Nicholas. TFH, 1983.
- Great Gray Dogs: The Norwegian Elkhound Factbook, 2nd edition. Great Gray Dogs, 1980.
- Your Norwegian Elkhound by Helen E. Franciose and Nancy C. Swanson. Denlinger, 1974.
- How to Raise and Train a Norwegian Elkhound by Glenna Clark Crafts. TFH, 1973. Reprint of the 1964 book with a different cover.
- Magazine Articles
- Dearth, Kim D.R. "The Norwegian Elkhound" Dog World September 1999, Vol. 84 Issue 9, p12-17.
- "Dog of the Vikings" Dog Fancy. April 1998.
- "Norwegian Elkhound". Dog World. July 1997, Vol. 82 Issue 7. p86.
- "Regional occurrence, high frequency but low diversity of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in Scandinavia". Klütsch CFC, Seppälä EH, Lohi H, Fall T, Hedhammar Å, Uhlén M, Savolainen P 2010 Animal Genetics, online early.
External links
[edit]Dogs originating in Norway | ||
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